Woods getting his groove back

Melbourne - Former world number one Tiger Woods on Monday said he was starting to enjoy golf again after a spate of injuries, with a strict training regime helping him regain his speed and distance.

Now ranked 56 after going off the boil following lurid revelations about his private life, the 14-time major champion said he was having fun, but refused to comment on the racist slur against him by ex-caddy Steve Williams.

"I've had a broken leg, a torn Achilles, and strained ligaments over the last five years," he told Melbourne's Triple M radio station, having made clear ahead of the interview he would not be taking questions on Williams.

"I've been rehabbing for so long I haven't been able to train.

"Now I'm starting to get going, I'm starting to do all my explosive training again.

"I'm hitting faster, more explosive, my speed's come back. I'm hitting the ball distances, I know I can hit the golf ball again, it's getting fun."

Woods was in Melbourne for a round of golf with cricketer Shane Warne, Warne's fiancee Liz Hurley and gaming tycoon James Packer at the privately-owned Capital Golf Club.

He heads to Sydney on Tuesday for the Australian Open, with a press conference scheduled where the Williams row is expected to be the focus of attention.

Williams, who was Woods' caddy for 13 of his 14 Major titles before being sacked earlier this year, referred to the player as a "black arsehole" during an awards dinner on Friday night in Shanghai.

Once one of the longest hitters on tour, Woods said the landscape had changed since he turned pro, with now players much more athletic.

"Guys are in the gym, they're lifting the weights, they're hitting the track, they're trying to get stronger, faster because inevitably all sports do," he said.

"The next generation gets a little bit better."